Hulling-machine



I. DAVIDSON.

HULLING MACHINE.

n APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, IEII I. 1,365 Patented m1111921.

2 SHEETS-SHE T I IIIIIIIIAIDl//l/ mv ss@ J. DAVIDSON.

HULLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2s. 1917.

1,365,228. Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Unirse .s'rr-r'rpgs A PATENT oFFlCE.

JOSEPH DAVIDSON, OLE"4 GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF T.AMERICAN MACHINE & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NORTH fCAROLINA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

HULLING-MACHINE.

Patented J an. 11, 1921.

To all 'w/wmr't may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DAVIDSON, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Greenville, county of Greenville,rand State of SouthCarolina, have invented an Improvement in Hulling-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This application is for an improvement in hulling machines of thecharacter set out in Letters Patent No. 1,083,001, granted to me onDecember 30, 1913, whereby greater efficiency is secured.

The object of my invention is to provide` a construction of seed hullerin which the crushing parts are economically constructed and relativelyinexpensive to repair when worn; and more particularly the improvementsare directed to replaceable stepped breast plates with which the knivesof the hulling cylinder cooperate, said breast plates formed of integralchilled castings and having the stepped or flighted knife edges formedthereon in horizontal parallel relation and arranged in a curveapproximating the cylindrical path traversed by the knives of theliulling cylinder.

lily object is further to construct the knife portions of the breast inthe form of chilled castings to establish fixed relation between therespective knife portions thereof, and detachably secure the said'casting to a breast frame which is adjustable to and from the hullingcylinder and yieldingly held in position to properly perform the hullingfunction but permit the breast plate to move away from the cylinder incase of the passage of hard foreign substances between the same, tierebypreventing breakage of the cutting devices.

My object is further to support the breast plates aioresaid by a hingedbreast support machine when operating` at its greatest capacity.

lVth the above and other objects in view the nature of which will bemore fully un-7 derstood from the description hereinafter, the inventionconsists'in the novel construction of hulling machine as hereinaftermore fully described and deinedin the claims.

For the purpose ofillustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings the embodiment thereof which is at .presentpreferred by me, since the same 1s in form'to give satisfactory andreliable results, but it is to be understood that the severalinstrumentalities of which my invention consists, can be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and 'organi- Zation of the instrumentalities hereinshown and described.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation taken online mof Fig. 2 and showing the internal construction of a hullingmachine embodying my invention; Fig. is a front elevation of the same;Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the yielding tension device for holdingthe breast framke to the hulling cylinder; and Figs. l and 5 areperspective views of the breast plates removed fromr the machine.

2 is the bed or main frame, and 3 is the upper or hopper feed frame,hinged at l to the back of the main frame upon which it rests and towhich it is adjustably fastened by bolts The lower front portion of themain frame is extended in horizontal runways or guides 5 upon which theadjustable breast frame 30 is supported. v

yThe main frame is provided at each end with bearings 13, in which isjournaledthe cylinder shaft 7, one end of the shaft having a belt pulley14 by which it is driven. Secured upon the shaft 7 and arranged withinthe frames 2, 3 and 30 is the cast steel hulling cylinder 6, which isprovidedr about its circumference with obliquely arranged knives 9.These knives each consist of a rectangular steel bar extendinglengthwise of the cylinder and set in grooves 8, wherein they areclamped Vby clamping plates 11 held in clamping relation by screws 12.The clamp` ingl screws 12 apply pressure to the plates 11 setting knifefeature, are a safety means to4 prevent the knives flying outward bycentrifugal force in case the screws 12 should accidentally becomeloose. This shoulder and the position of the clamping screws are specialfeatures of improvement over the construction embodied in my formerLetters Patent No. 1,083,004, aforesaid.

The breast frame 30 comprises two end frames connected by the crossframe 52, and these end frames are further connected by the breast platesupport 31 which is a boxshaped casting hinged at its lower part to theend frames by bolts l0 andl having its upper part slotted as at el andadjustably clamped to the end frames by bolts 42. This structure isquite rigid and is made still more so when the breast plates are boltedin place, but, as an entity, is adjustable to and from the hullingcylinder 6. Its approach toward the hulling cylinder is limited by theset bolts 54 extending through the cross frame 52, and this position isnormally insured by the spring devices df' at each end of the machine.These springs 17 are arranged about bolts if having adjustable nuts --dand hinged at 45 to the bed or main frame 2 and the said springs pressat one end against said nuts of the bolts and their other ends againstwashers '-lG resting upon lateral slotted lugs -l-G from the ends of thebreast frame 30. By this means, the breast frame and its parts areforced toward the hullling cylinder with any desired pressure, and theextent of approach is limited by the set bolts 54k aforesaid. During theadjustment or tramining of the machine, the hand screws 53 may be usedto adjust each end of the breast frame until the results are just whatare desired and then the set bolts 54: are adjusted and relied uponthereafter; and having no hand wheels these bolts are not liable to beaccidentally put out of adjustment, which may be stilll further guardedagainst by providing them with lock nuts as shown.

The breast plates 33 are formed of chilled iron and are curved in avertical plane to approximate the curvature traversed by the knives 9 ofthe hulling cylinder. The curved faces of these plates 33 are providedwith iiighted or stepped portions as shown at 34 (Figs. 1 andconstituting cutting edges and retaining shoulders to obstruct thepassage of the seed and hold them in such position as to make the actionor contact of the cylinder knives 9 most efficient. These breast platesalso protect the meats of the seeds from injurious reduction, andthereby removes causes of oil absorption from the meats.

By preventing too great a reduction of the seeds they are left in abetter condition for separating the meats from the hulls in thesubsequent processes; in fact when properly adjusted the huller willdeliver a large percentage of whole meats and hull cuttings ofrelatively large-size, all of which aids in efficient production of oilfrom the seed in the later operations.

. Referring more particularly to the chilled metal breast plates 33,their outer surfaces are ribbed as at 35. -F ig. d, said ribs havinghubs 3G at their middle through which the clamping bolts 3S extend, saidribs, hubs and also the flanged ends and edges, are carefully ground'toa true circle to fit :against the inner circular rib surfaces 32 of theribs 311 of the breast plate support 31, said inner surfaces 32 beingaccurately machined and finished, so as to have the cutting edges of thebreast plates present a true and uniform cuttingl surface across theentire width and through the full cutting arc of the cylinder knives. Itis also important that the cutting edges 34 of the plates have just theproper spacing and depth to prevent mixing of cut and uncut seeds,allowing the cut seeds to pass but holding the uncut seeds,

all of which acts to prevent undue cutting of the meats and hulls. As asecondary result of this proportioning, there is a reduction of powerconsumption to an absolute minimum. Moreover, the angles of the edges ofthe knives of the cylinder and the serrations of angular edges 34e ofthe breast plates, are such as to give just the proper coaction to cutthe seed cleanly and without objectionable abrasion or bruising of themeats. The action of the knives is such that those on the cylinder andthose on the breast plates tend to automatically force the seed towardthe other and yhence insure positive and efficient coperation.

There are two breast plates 33 forming together approximately a 90degree arc, and these are each clamped in position upon the surfaces 32of ribs 31a of the support'Bl by a series of bolts 38, having theirheads in countersunk lholes 37 in the breast plates (Figs. 1 and 5) andextending through the support and tightened by nuts 39 upon the outside.plate support 31, I :provide a traverse bar 43 bolted in position andpreferably providing a slightly tapering throat leading to the breastplates at the top for the more ready entry of the seed.

At the upper edge of the breast i The adjustment of the support 31 andbreast plates 83 about the bolts 40 makes il possible to accur'atelyadjust the curvature of the breast plate cutting edges to the knives ofthe vcylinder 6, and this is important as insuring accuracy ofadjustment with an inexpensive construction.

Below the hulling cylinder is the dis-A charge throat for the cut seedand this is tted with a fixed curved plate 48 against which thek seed isprojected by the cylinder and caused to be deflected downward. Theopposite side of the throat is fitted with a fixed flat plate 50 andabove this is a hinged plate 49, the upper edge of which is hinged to anangle bar 51 bolted to'l the bottom of the breast plate support 31, andfree to swing by gravity lso that-itslower edge rests upon the fixedplate 50. This plate 49 is therefore adjustable, being move able notonly with the support 31 in Aits own adjustment, but also with thebreast frame 30 when moved back from the cylinder as when replacing thebreast plates or providing access to the cylinder. This plate 49 bridgesthe space between the breast plates 'and the fixed plate 50 to preventes` cape of the cut seeds.

T he upper frame 3 is kprovided with a hop-A per 16 and a feedingcylinder 17 secured toa rotatable shaft 24; the seed being fed from thehopper through an adjustable throat 19l comprising a hinged gate or wallhaving a rack 20 which is moved by a pinion 21 on a shaft 22 adapted tobe adjusted by hand. Below the feeding cylinder is an inclined plate 18over which the seeds are fed to approximately the top of the cylinder. I

do not confine myself to this construction of feeding means, although ithas been found well adapted to its purpose.

Immediately at the front part of the upper frame 3 are hinged flaps ordoors 63, hinged at their upper ends at 64 and having their lower endsextending obliquely over to and` resting upon the upper end of thebreast support 31. The-` function of these flaps or doors 63 is to allowany heavy foreign mat'I ters such as pieces of metalor stones to bethrown out of the machine by the revolving cylinder, so as not to passdown between the breast plates and cylinder. vThese doors fall bygravity and will not open by impact of the seed, s0 that the lseed isretained while permitting the ejection of heavier articles. Forconvenience, the door 63 opens into a compartment or catch box V56formed in the upper part of the breast frame 30 and `the metal andstones are then collected and removed from time to time by door 58 whichis hinged at 59`and latched at 60. The hinges 59 are attached to anangleiir'on corner 57 at the top of the compartment 56, and also hingedto this angle `iron at 62 is atop door 61 by which access can be hadfromv above and by which any collection of material may be ascertained.

The breast is held in place by the coil springs 47 as before explained;and should any hard foreign substance get between the breast plates andcylinder knives, the springs yield, allowing the objectional material topass through without damaging the machine, the breast .being instantlydrawn back to its proper position by the springs as soon as the hard4substance has passed through, thus preventing any undue spillage ofseed.

The feeder cylinder shaft 24 may be operated in any suitable manner butpreferably by the means shown, which consists of a gear 25 on the. endof the shaft and driven by a pinion`26 which is driven by a band wheel27. This band wheel is driven from a small band pulley 29 on the hullercylinder shaft 7 `by a band 28. In this way a relatively slow rotationis given to the feeder cylinder 17 ,and as the cylinder has longitudinalribs upon it which successively pass the gate 19 ofthe throat, itisapparent that the delivery of seed to the hulling cylinder isaccomplished in measured quantities, the amount of which may beregulated by adjusting the gate.

The general arrangement of the main parts of the machine is such thatall parts are easily gotten at. For example,by re; moving the bolts 15,the hopper and feeder may be swung backward and about hinge 4 to exposetop of the hulling cylinder and alsothe flaps or hinged doors 63; andfur thermore, by loosening the nuts 44a the bolts 44 may be swung outsidewiseaway from the lugsI 46 and the breast frame 30 may then be movedback to expose the hulling cylinder and also the breast plates. Byremoving the nuts 39 the breast plates 33 may be removed when worn andnew plates inserted with little labor, and as the parts are interchangeable and accurately fit their coacting parts, the insertion of newplates does not require any special new adjustments. n

- In sett-ing the cylinder knives 9, it is only necessary to push themagainst the milled shoulder or fiange 10 in the cylinder andtighten theclamp screws 12; and in setting the chilled metal breast plates, theykare simply dropped in against the supporting frame 31 and shoulderprovided by the angle iron 51 and bolted vin position by the bolts 3S.Practice has shown that the com plete operation of setting both thecylinder knives andbreast plates can be performed in approximatelythirty minutes, thereby preferred embodiment thereof which has beenfound in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to beunderstood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same aresusceptible of modification in various particulars without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hulling machine, a hulling cylinder having about its periphery aplurality of parallel longitudinal .V shaped grooves each having oneface formed with a rectangular shaped recess adjacent to thelongitudinal peripheral edge whereby a longitudinal shoulder isprovided, a plurality of longitudinal knives of rectangular crosssection respectively fitting the recesses and having their outer corneredge projecting beyond the peripheral surface of the cylinder and saidknives held against radial displacement by the shoulders, longitudinalclamping plates fitting the V shaped grooves and overlapping the knivesat their inner edges, and screws extending through I the clamping platesand recessed faces and radially inward of the knives for clamping saidknives in the recesses.

2. A detachable breast plate for hulling machines, consisting of acurved chilled iron casting having a concave face formed with aplurality of parallel stepped cutting ribs, and means at the back forsecuring and supporting it in position comprising longitudinal andtransverse curved ribs, said ribs surfaced to a true cylindrical curveconcen tric to the cutting ribs, and said curved ribs each having a hubportion with a radial bolt hole whereby a plurality of securing boltsmay be employed along the longitudinal lengthof the plate in line withthe ribs. e

In a hulling` machine, a hulling cylinder, combined with a breast frameadjustable to and from -the hulling cylinder, a breast plate supporthaving a curved surface adjacent to the. cylinder and secured to thebreast frame by a transverse hinge, ar-

ranged immediately at one end vertically' considered and adjacent to itscurved surface, a curved breast plate having an integral concave cuttingsurface and convex back secured to the support so as to present the saidcutting surface to the cylinder and having a normally fixed relation tothe breast plate support, means for adjusting the support about itshinge upon the breast frame to change the position ofthe axis ofcurvature of the breast plate, and means for adjusting the breast frameto and from the hulling cylinder.

4. In a hulling machine, the combination of a hulling cylinder, a breastframe adjustable to and from the cylinder in a rectilinear line, abreast plate having a curved cutting face coacting with the cylinder, asupport for the breast 'plate hinged at its bottom to the breast frame,and means above the hinge for adjusting and securing the support rigidlyto the breast frame.

5. In a'hulling machine, the combination of a hulling cylinder, a breastframe adjustable to and from the cylinder in a rectilinear line, abreast plate havin@f a curved cutting face coacting with the cylinderand also having a curved back, a support for the breast plate hinged latits lbottom to the breast frame and having a curved ribbed face forreceiving the curved back of the breast plate and sustaining it, meansfor detachably securing the breast plate to the support, and means abovethe hinge for adjusting and securing the support rigidly to the breastframe.

6. In a hulling machine, a hulling cylinder, combined with a breastframe, a breast plate support secured to the breast frame, curvedvbreast plates arranged circumferentially end to end about the cylinderand removably secured to the support, means for adjusting the supportupon the breast frame to change the position of the common axis ofcurvature of the breast plates, .means for adjusting the breast frame toand from the hulling cylinder, and a throat at the bottom of the machinecomprising two fixed plates `for guiding the cut seed and an adjustablenon-flexible plate hinged at its upper end to the breast frame below thebreast plates and having its lower .part resting upon and relativelymovable upon one of the fixed throat plates.

7. In a hulling machine, a hulli'ng cylinder, combinedvwith a breastframe adjustable to and from the cylinder, :a breast plate supportsecured kto the breast frame and movable with it and lhaving a concavecurved surface next to :the cylinder, abreast plate having its outerface closely fitting the breast plate support, whereby it is accuratelypositioned upon the support, detachable bolts extending through thebreast plate and support for detachably securing them together, meansfor adjusting the breast frame to and from the cylinder, and anadjustable discharge throat of rigid material hinged to and lmovablewith the breast frame.

8. In alrulling machine, the y,combination of ak hulling cylinder, asliding adjustable breast frame, an adjustable pivoted breast platesupport having breast plates secured upon it and hinged at its flowerend to the breast frame so lthat its upperend is adjustable, yielding`mea-ns for holding the breast frame and plate up to the operativerelation with thecylinder, means to feed seed to the cylinder, a catchbox above lthe breast plate support and integral with the breast frame,and hinged flaps `between 4the cylinder and catch boX and having theirlower ends resting upon the adjustable upper end of the breast platesupport.

9. In a hulling machine, the combination of a base frame, an upper tramehinged to the base frame at the back, a breast frame horizontallyadjustable on the base frame, a hulling cylinder in the base frame,feeding devices in the upper frame, breast cutters on the breast frame,positive means for detachably holding the upper frames in closeoperative fixed relation to the base frame and for permitting the saidupper frame to be thrown back, and spring devices between the base frameand breast frame to permit the latter to be moved away from thecylinder, whereby the cutting means may be easily accessible.

10. In. a hulling machine, the combination of a main frame, a hullingcylinder, a breast frame movable to and from the cylinder, springdevices for yieldingly moving the breast frame toward the cylinder, abreast plate support hinged to the breast frame, adjusting means foradjusting the position of the support, a breast plate detachably securedto thewsupport, adjusting hand screws for adjusting the breast frame,its support and plate relatively to the cylinder, and v provided with aplurality of supporting ribs arranged transversely to the cutting ribsand ground accurately to an arc of a circle, and a plurality of boltapertures extending into the plate along its middle and in alinementwith the ribs.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

W. LINDSAY VVILsoN. L. I-I. CARLISLE.

